Noches de Polvo
by xxBurningxx
Summary: AU. Officer Maka Albarn wants to serve justice, while gunslinger Soul "Eater" just needs the cash. Two opposites take a bounty, not knowing that they might get more than what they bargained for in the long-run. Western-themed.
1. Prologue: Wolfman's Past

**Story Note: AU. This is a prologue, obviously. Maka and Soul are not in this chapter, as it is focused on our main bounty-star. (Soul and Maka are in the next chapter, the official chapter 1).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or any characters mentioned. **

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><p><strong>Noches de Polvo<br>Prologue: Wolfman's Past  
>by. <strong>_xxBurningxx_

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><p><em>Somewhere in the distance, Wolfman can hear horse hooves approaching. His ears twitch towards the sound, urging him to work faster. He grunts as he pulls the corpse's body across gravel and dirt, quickly casting his eyes around in search of any large cacti or rocks that he could hide behind. His eyes are met with only scraggly bushes and a few patches of grass. The dusty road isn't too far off, and the steed's clomping hooves are growing closer with each passing second; Wolfman's time is running short, it would seem.<br>_

_"Damn," he whispers, cursing the lifeless corpse. If it weren't for the crimson liquid that dirties his hands, he could play dumb; act as if he was just a traveler. It's worked before, but only for cleaner kills, where blood wasn't splayed across his shirt; when red wasn't staining his skin. _

_It's either fight or flight, and right now, flight is in favor. Wolfman abandons the body, hoping that the small rocks and shrubs will be enough to cover the evidence until he's out of the area. He whistles, calling for his horse whom is nibbling on the almost non-existent greenery. The brown mammal swiftly responds, trotting up to him. Hopping onto his trusty steed, Wolfman flees in the direction of the original threat. _

_At a constant speed, Wolfman catches a glimpse of the individual whom had been the cause for his rushing. He keeps himself hunched over in an attempt to hide the red on his coat, praying the vicious glaring sun will help him by blinding the officer. _

_A rush of wind ruffles his clothes as the other horse races past him. _

_He realizes only after they've passed each other that it's a woman. He almost laughs, because if he had know this piece of information before hand, he wouldn't have bothered in fleeing. But it's too late now and he needs to get moving before the posse discovers the corpse of Frank Yuney, the bastard who doesn't know when to scoff up the cash when it's due. _

_With that, Wolfman rides onwards, the unforgiving sun beating down on his skin, causing the blood to crust on his hands in a manner that is similar to the way mud dries._

_"Heh," he muses to himself, ignoring the dust clouds flying in his face, "The famous No-Future is at work again, at last..." _

_And it almost seems as if the sun is laughing along with him. _

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><p><em>His career is a result of a bad childhood. <em>

_And the one woman who could have possibly changed his destiny is long gone now. Murderer Wolfman, also known as No-Future, has been raised with abusive parents. No matter how many times he had tried to please them, they would always scream at him. Hit him. Punch him. Kick him. Whatever it takes to cause him pain. Sometimes, he wonders why they even agreed to have a kid. Later, he had decided that it was because they needed someone to torture; a ragdoll of sorts. _

_At the age of 12, Wolfman discovers his father's closet of guns. While his dad was off drunk at the pub, and his mother was gone (cheating, most likely, or selling her body for money), Wolfman spends his time with the one person who didn't see him as trash. _

_Eruka "Frog." She's the only person besides his parents who know his real name: Free. _

_Daughter of the local gun-range's owner, she teaches him how to handle pistols; how to fire like any good gunslinger. At first she had been nervous, and he's a bit ashamed to admit he had kinda bullied her into teaching him, but in the end it was fine. The more time they spend together, the closer and more comfortable they get. They were the best of friends. _

_She even stands up for him when his drunken father had discovered him at the gun-range, enraged and furious. _

_"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-'OW DARE YOU 'AKE MY GU-!" His father had pulled a knife, and was about to lunge at Wolfman when things took a turn for what he assumed was the better. _

_Wolfman had stared in awe and shock, as his best friend stood there, with a pistol pressed against his father's head. He had almost told her to shoot him when his drunken father dropped the knife and retreated slowly. _

_"Don' expect...supper whe' you 'et home tonigh'..." His voice was slurred as he backed out of the swinging doors, the most horrid expression on his face. The anger and fire was present in his eyes. _

_That day, Wolfman had realized that Eruka really was there for him. And with that in mind, things might be okay. But Wolfman isn't the brightest, but he knows the difference between reality and wishful thinking, and he knows that things probably won't be okay in the long-run. He doesn't know it then, but he couldn't be any closer to the truth. _

_But she would always be there for him. Eruka will always back him up. Or at least, that's what he thought. _

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><p><em>The first person he murdered was his father. He's 17 when something within him snaps, like a twig underneath boots. With the tip of a pistol pointed to his father's head, like so many years ago, the only difference is the fact that this time, the trigger is pulled. And no one's there to hear the gunshot. <em>

_"You did _what?_" _

_He has to tell her, he's told her everything before, and keeping secrets from Eruka was like cutting off his own fingers. Her expression isn't shocked, if anything, it held awe. But she knew the consequences of murder, and the idea of her best friend being hanged settled within her a distant panic in her chest. _

_"I...Eruka, I have to leave. I'll buy a horse...Leave the town, I'll just keep following the road until I'm far away," he tells her. _

_"But, Free...You can't leave. But," she can't bear the thought of him gone for good. _

_"Come with me, Frog. We can go together. We'll leave tonight! Think about it, we'll be free to do whatever we want." Nostalgia hits her when he calls her by her old nickname. She's silent as she casts her eyes to the ground. _

_"I-I can't." She can barely push the words past her lips. Her throat is tight and her can feel emotions welling inside of her. _

_"What?" He asks in disbelief. He was almost positive that she'd agree. _

_"Free, I have a family, that actually loves me. I can't...Just leave like that. I wish I could but-" _

_"I understand." His voice is monotone, but she can tell it's a sign of anger, and it instantly fills Eruka with guilt. He's about to turn around when she embraces him a tight hug. She half-expects him to push her away, relief washes over her when he doesn't. _

_She places a chaste kiss on his cheek before whispering, "Go. Do what you need to do, start a new life somewhere. I'll play dumb, I'll make sure they won't find out it's you. I really...I'd go, please Free, you understand why I can't come...Good luck..." _

_Wolfman doesn't realize that he has to blink back tears. He holds her tight, finally whispering, "Alright..."_

_She feels a piece of herself breaking away when Free exits the room._

_"Goodbye...friend..."_

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><p><em>It's possible that Wolfman wouldn't be where he was now had Eruka agreed to go with him. Perhaps, if she'd come, he'd be in a nice house somewhere, with a well-going ranch, a wife even. Maybe he wouldn't be known as a murderer. <em>

_He wouldn't be traveling down a dusty road, on his way to the next town to kill someone for the paper in their pockets._

_But fate never was on his side...And there's no turning back. _

_22 murders and still counting...Wolfman pats his trench coat to rid it of dirt before entering the local bar of the newest town. _

_He realizes with a sickening twist in his gut that he's screwed. He won't be able to show his face in many towns anymore. Because the posse have caught drift of his actions. Any other time, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but now they have his name and face, and his picture is plastered on walls all around. There's a bounty on his head. $13,000. They really want him captured...Or dead._

_He bows his head at the bar, orders a shot of whiskey, and sighs as he runs a hand through his short-cut hair. _

_Sometimes, he wonders if it's really worth it..._

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><p><strong>AN: Yes. So this is the prologue for my newest story, Noches de Polvo, which is supposed to mean 'Nights of Dust'...Although my Spanish sucks, so...I apologize if it says something stupid and not related to dust...or nights...**

**Edit*: Yes, so, I realize that this is a pretty horrible prologue. I feel that the following chapters (the ones with an actual plot) are much better. I'm gonna sound like a whiny begging fangirl, but please, read onwards to the official chapter 1 and such.**

**Anyways, yes, I know that this is really short, but it's a just a little background info on our star-bounty, whom is Free! I just wanted to establish the fact that he's not the cold and heartless murderer that everyone thinks he is, and that he's really just a heart-broken and on bad terms with 'fate'.**

**And come on, I know this isn't too exciting right now, but I promise, there shall be SOMA! Later. I promise, this will get better and more interesting! There _will _be SoMa fluff, I swear. Hell, there might even be a lime towards the end. You'll just have to wait and see what I do with this. Again. I swear on River Styx that this shall get better! And chapters will be longer than...What, 1000 words? I'm hoping that they'll be 2000-3000...I hope.**

**Yeah, so this is my first story that's going to be multi-chap and actually a connected story. And you shouldn't worry about me giving up on you guys...I feel quite dedicated to this. It has a plot. Next chapter should be much longer and will focus mainly on Maka discovering the bounty, and Soul needing money, blah blah blah. And it's set more when women have a little more rights to stuff like...being a constable or being at a gun range...I dunno. Even if that denies the history of the setting, oh well. I don't care.**

**Oh, and I apologize for any grammar errors or anything like that. I revised it, but I don't have spell check, so I'm not promising anything.**

**Expect an update in a couple of days. Hope you like it so far!**


	2. Chapter 1: A New Bounty?

**Story Note: A little heads up about the format; the POVs between Maka and Soul switch a few times before they actually meet. It shouldn't confuse anyone, but just in case.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

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><p><strong>Noches de Polvo<br>Chapter 1: A New Bounty?  
>by. <strong>_xxBurningxx_

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><p>"Okay filthy scum, just drop the bags, and I won't have to shoot you." With a pistol firmly gripped in her hands, Officer Maka Albarn aims her gun towards the criminal. He's caught in a tense position, hesitating by the bank's back entrance. In his hands are two leather bags filled to the brim with money. The ruffian snarls at her, but obeys nonetheless. After he's dropped the bags, Maka advances, her gun still poised to shoot. As soon as she's close enough, she swiftly snaps a pair of handcuffs onto the man's thick wrists.<p>

"What're you gonna do now? Kill me?" He spits as she gives him a harsh shove in the direction of her horse, which is nibbling idly a couple of feet away. They're already in the town of Eastwood, but she still needs to get the criminal to Death Town, which is both her hometown and where the small bounty was originally posted.

"If I were going to kill you, I wouldn't have bothered 'cuffing you," she says, half lifting and half pushing him onto the horse so that he's laying on his stomach on the back end of the steed. The horse snorts in obvious distaste of having the grimy man on her back. "It's okay, Blair," Maka says soothingly to the female horse, giving her a slight pat on the head. "I know you don't like transporting gross men like this, but we have to." Maka's horse, Blair, is solid black, with a very faint tint of brown that almost gives her a purple-ish hue in the glint of the sunshine.

After the man is set on the horse, Maka walks a few paces over and retrieves the pair of money bags. She's just about to walk back to the bank when-

"Oh, thank you so much!" A man comes running frantically out the bank's back door, his panic quickly turning to relief at the sight of the handcuffed man and Maka's officer badge. Maka makes the safe assumption that this man is the banker; he wears a formal black vest on top of a thin white undershirt, the normal clothing for someone who works at a bank. Maka nods and tells him that it's no problem as she holds the bags out to him, gesturing for him to take them.

"Please, I insist you take a little something, as payment for your good deed!" The banker says quickly before Maka can turn away. He's about to open the bag to retrieve some money when Maka interrupts him.

"Oh no, sir, it's not the money I'm concerned about, I'm just glad that this worthless trash here won't be able to cause any more harm. Please keep it." And it's the truth. Officer Maka couldn't really care if she were paid or not because to her, serving justice is a reward in itself.

The banker eyes her for another moment before nodding and giving her another round of thanks. After that, they part their ways, that same feeling of accomplishment rising in Maka's chest every time she does something good. She wipes her hands as if ridding them of dirt before walking back over to Blair and the struggling man.

Maka hops onto Blair and grabs the reigns as she gives a small smirk, proud to have captured another villain.

She tips her hat downwards so that it blocks out the sun's rays before prodding Blair into a light trot towards the dusty road that exits Eastwood Town. There's still a couple of towns between her and Death Town, and if she wants to make it to the next town before nightfall, she needs to leave now. So, with a good mood hovering over her, she gives a tug on the reigns, and races down the dusty road, ignoring the grunts and groan from the man behind her.

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><p>"Let's start with $1000," he says with a grin. Somewhere behind his eyes, there's a dangerous sparkle that is sure to bring him misfortune someday. In the local pub in Death Town, three men are gathered at a round table for a game of Liar's Dice.<p>

"Eh, Eater, you're drunk, you sure you wanna do that? If so, I'm in. Winner-take-all?"

"First off, I'm not drunk. Second, I'm up for it." Gunslinger Soul Eater sits at a round table, occupied by two other men. The one to his right being an old acquaintance, Rick Cheshire, and another to his left being a scruffy man he'd never seen before. Soul lifts his cup that contains five dice and begins to shake it temptingly. With his other free hand, he takes a swig of alcohol.

"Okay, don't come cryin' to me when you wind up-a broke," Rick says with a cruel smile, knowing that this would be an easy ticket for some cash. The scruffy man grunts in agreement before also picking up his cup. There's a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, smoke curling around his face. After Soul gives another nod, the three man shake their cups and slam them against the table with a loud smack.

Soul lifts his cup. _Two fives, a six, a four, and a two. _He smirks, "Who's goin' first?"

"You go ahead, Eater, give it yer best shot," Rick says to him.

"Okay then, nothing like a good ol' game of Liar's Dice, right?" Soul says with a chuckle. He takes one more look at his dice before deciding what his bid will be. Might as well start off safe, right? "Eh, two fives."

The scruffy man, who finally states his name to be Jak, is to Soul's left, indicating that it's his turn. He narrows his eyes at Soul suspiciously before finally saying, "Yer' a pussy."

Soul just smirks at the comment.

"3 fives."

"4 fives."

Back to Soul, he debates whether there are a total of 4 fives or not. He figures, probably, odds are, if he rolled 2 fives, there has to be another double pair somewhere on the table...But then again, he doubts that there are a total of 5 fives. He takes a chance, because where's the fun if he didn't?

"5 fives."

Jak takes a drag on his cigarette before saying, "Liar." The men all life their cups and inspect the dice. Soul quickly counts the total number of fives. Only four. And not a single Ace to count as a wild.

"Damn it." He tosses out one of his die before slumping against his chair. What a way to start a game, especially one with such a large bet. The game continues onwards for a little while, each player rolling and bidding and calling out 'liar'.

When Rick Cheshire is finally out of the game, Soul is down to two dice, while Jak has three. Rick was pretty upset when he realized that he had just lost one-thousand bucks out of his pocket, but unlike Soul, he has a larger access to money, and could easily gain that back within a week's time if he really wanted to. Soul, on the other hand, probably just bet 3/4 out of his entire profit. Rick sits there with mild interest as he waits to see who wins.

"Lia'" Soul says, hoping that Jak's bid of 3 twos was false. When they lift their cups, Jak already has 2 twos, and for a moment, Soul gets his hopes up. But then he realized...He groans. He just _had to roll a one._ He removes a die from his cup, now left with only one die.

"Oooh, looks like Eater isn't doing too well..." Rick says, his tone drawling out mockingly. Soul sends him a sharp glare that holds a warning, something like, '_Shut yer trap before I shoot you.' _The two roll their dice again. Soul looks at his roll. _A six._ If only it were his turn, but it isn't.

"2 sixes," Jak says.

And Soul is officially stuck between a rock and a hard place. He has a six, and if Jak either has a six or a one, then he wouldn't be a liar. But, if he say's 3 sixes, there's a high chance that he's wrong also. After a few moments, Soul takes another swig of his beer, finally saying, "...3 sixes."

"Liar."

It almost seems as if time itself slows as the two men lift their cups. Soul hesitates in anticipation.

Soul has a six.

Jak has a six. And a five. And a...four...

"Fuck!"

"Cough it up boys, both of 'yall." Reluctantly, both Rick Cheshire and Soul withdraw the said amount of money from their pockets. As soon as the cash is out of his hands and on the table, Soul turns around and leaves the pub. He's pissed and doesn't want to be in the same room as that bastard Jak. Outside, it's night time, and Soul leans against the side of the building. He muses about what he should do now. He's just lost almost all of his money because of a foolish game, and now he doesn't even have enough to pay for his hotel rent. He's gonna need a quick job for some cash, and soon...

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><p>"Ah! Good job, Officer Albarn." Maka is glad to see that Sheriff Law is pleased with her latest capture. After a couple day's time, she traveled back to Death Town with the criminal in tow. She, for the most part, likes her boss; Sheriff Justin Law. He's a very religious man whom always attends church and prays whenever he possibly can, and because of this, he agrees with Maka's liking for serving justice when it's due.<p>

The only thing that was a little offset about him was his oddly bright blond hair and the color of his eyes: a light and yet dark blue that almost seemed to create a purple-ish color. And then there was his choice of clothing. He wore the normal sheriff's outfit that seemed perfectly normal, but if you looked closely, you'd notice the number of crosses that adorn his body. Multiple necklaces and rings. Other things of that sort. It's always kind of crept Maka out.

"Thank you, sir," she says, nodding at him. "I've already locked him up in one of the cells here at the station."

"Very good, as always. And of course, you're reward! How much was it again? Not much if I can recall...$80?" he says, looking around for something.

"That's fine, sir," she says with a slight smile.

After all of the business is sorted out and she's received her pay, Maka heads to her house, which is close the outskirts of Death Town. She lives alone in a small little cabin with one bed, a table, a chair, and not much else. She has room for her supplies for when she travels to take bounties; a tent, herbs and dried plants, dried meat, ammunition, pistols and guns. Everything that she needs fits together cozily in her "home."

In fact, everything in Death Town is quite cozy. It's not a large town like Lynnbird Ranch, but it's not super small either. Everything in the town is spaced out nicely; there's a general store, bar and pub, doctor, bank, train station, sheriff's office, everything a town could ask for is in Death Town.

Maka has everything she could ever possibly want, except for one thing that's been bugging at her consciousness lately. She's 24 years old and has never been in a relationship with a man; never even considered it, mainly due to her childhood past. Most times, she despises men as a whole, but then there are times when she muses to herself about such things. What could it possibly be like to be in love?

To live with someone who didn't just want you to abuse you, yell at you, hit you, rape you.

To be with someone who actually cared, worried about you, was there for you.

Sometimes, thoughts like these run wildly through her head. Maka sits down on her bed and stretches. With a sigh and a yawn, she wonders...

If only...

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><p>"I dunno if you've heard about it, Eater, but I hear there's a new bounty out...Yer low on money, cash? After that last bet, I bet yer more broke than a-"<p>

"Cheshire, if you know what's good for ya, you better close that damned mouth of yours," Soul says, spitting onto wooden floor when no one's looking. Rick Cheshire chuckles a little bit and takes a drag on the cigar that lingers in his mouth. "Although, tell me more about this bounty..."

"I hear it's just been put up this mornin'...Pretty decent reward if yer don't say..." he says as he bangs on the counter, signaling for the bartender to bring another shot of whiskey.

"Ya know, if I had the money, I'd say the round's on me...But ya know..." Soul begins, ordering another round for himself. The bar is filled with other people, other conversations milling all around them. The noise is one of the reasons why Soul even bother's coming; because the noise helps muddle his thoughts and worries that no one besides himself see.

"Aw, don' worry 'bout it, Eater. I gotcha covered, for this one only though," he tells him with a slight smirk. "You outta go take a look at that bounty...I'd take it myself, but I just don' fell like it...But, you know me, I'm quite the slacker."

"You said it, Cheshire, not me." At that, Rick gives a hearty chuckle and Soul simply smiles. He'd have to take a look at that when he has the time...

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><p>Maka wakes up one morning when she dully realizes that her amount of pistol ammunition is running low. With a soft curse, she dresses in her usual officer outfit and hops onto Blair. She could have easily walked the distance to the general store, but it was on the opposite side of Death Town, and frankly, she didn't feel like it. She was walking past her job when a familiar voice calls out from the entrance of the Sheriff's Office.<p>

"Officer Albarn? You outta check out the newest bounty that's been put up." Sheriff Law makes a choppy gesture towards the number of papers pinned against the wall to the left of the door, "I think that you might be interested in it!"

She tips her hat in acknowledgement and replies, "I'll be sure to do that, sir..." He nods and returns back to the office as Maka makes her way toward the Death Town general store. Slightly curious about the said bounty, Maka makes a mental note to be sure to come back.

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><p>It's only after she's returned to her small home and packed away her ammo that she takes her boss's advice to look at the newest bounty. After securing the pistol ammunition away in a chest that's located below her bed, she steps outside and begins walking towards the office. When she arrives, she scans over the bulletin at the combination of varying papers that rustle in the wind.<p>

But there's one that's larger than the others. It overlaps and covers a number of other posters, and on it is a rough picture of a scruffy looking man with a short but scratchy beard and a wide jaw line.

_WOLFMAN NO-FUTURE_

_HAS MURDERED ABOUT 30 PEOPLE_

_WANTED_

_DEAD OR ALIVE_

_REWARD: $13,000_

_LAST SEEN BY FORT HUMPHREY_

Maka's slightly bent over, about to inspect the poster more closely when suddenly, before she knows what's happening, a hand reaches out in front of her and snatches the poster, ripping it off of the wall.

"Hey-!" she begins in alarm when she turns to see who's the culprit. She's a little caught off guard by the body figure she's met with. Bright white hair, a shotgun slung across his back, and adorned in a black trench coat, he's startlingly attractive in the sense that he stands out. "I happened to be looking at that!"

"Well, you're outta luck, 'cause I have it now..." he says, glancing over at her. The crimson color of his eyes that meet hers are a bit unsettling, and she's a bit shocked by the tone of voice he uses.

"Mister, do you know who you're speaking to?" she asks, narrowing her eyes at the strange man before her.

"Yer an officer. Besides that, I don' really care," he replies, not looking at her, but rather, the poster. She's instantly filled with distaste for the man; her already placed disliking for men in general taking effect.

"Okay then, Mister...?"

"Eater."

She raises an eyebrow at this, but continues anyways, "Mister Eater, I'm going to ask that you return that poster..."

He looks at her again before saying, "No can do, Officer. I'm afraid that this bounty's taken." He then proceeds to fold the paper into a small square before stuffing it into the front pocket of his coat. She glares at him, almost growling when he has the nerve to smirk at her. "Sorry miss, but I really need the cash right now..." And then he begins walking away with a calmness that irritates the officer.

She glares daggers into the back of his head while her mind races. 30 murders...That just wasn't right. This murderer needed to be taken care of, and for some reason, Maka felt like this odd white-haired man wouldn't get the job done. Before she knows what's happening, the words are out of her mouth.

"Wait." She starts with an annoyed reluctance, "I'm coming with you."

At this, he stops. Glancing back at her, his face gathered in a somewhat confused expression, he says, "Eh, what? Sorry, but I'm not gonna split the reward if that's what yer thinkin'."

"No," she says, shaking her head, "I want to kill this "Wolfman" person. He deserves to be dead."

"Wait, so you don't want any of the money?" He asks, his eyebrows raised. He spits onto the dirt beneath him.

She takes a few steps until she's closer to him before replying, "Nope."

A number of thoughts are running through his head. He could probably handle this on his own, but if an actual officer was willing to help him...For no price...He'd probably get the job done faster...She'd have plenty of access to ammunition and weapons...

Taking another step towards her until he's directly in front of her, he holds out his hand, offering to shake with her.

And for the first time, he grins, showing her his row of pointed canines that make her breath hitch. She's never seen anything like it, and she wonders how such a thing is possible...

"Well then...If that's what you want...Partners?"

She glares at him a little bit, narrowing her eyes. After a moment, she holds out her hand as well, shaking his larger and more tanned one.

"Partners."

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><p><strong>AN: Alas, your first official Chapter 1 of Noches de Polvo.**

**Because Blair just HAD to be the horse! And I think that Justin Law makes for a fitting Sheriff, don't you? So, even though Maka muses about being in a relationship, she still really dislikes men...**

**Oh, and Rick Cheshire is a character that I've created (whom is mentioned in another story of mine, Believe In Me, as well as my Pokemom story Gone Forever)...I guess he'd be considered an OC but...He's not actually a big character or anything and this chapter will most likely be the only time you'll see him. If you want him to have more screentime, I guess let me know...**

**Anyways, I wasn't quite sure how I should've had them agree on the bounty, so this just sorta happened...And also, I have no idea if I'm getting my Old Wild West facts straight. I've no idea if I'm calculating the money worth right, and I kind of suck at making the accent work...But you gotta remember that my only sources are history class, a few movies, and the video game Red Dead Redemption (as follows)  
><strong>

**History class - %30**

**Movies - %10**

**Red Dead Redemption - %60**

**So you see, I must thank that video game for my facts. But I'm still clueless as ever!  
><strong>

**Yup, so I apologize if anything's wrong about it, and please feel free to point it out! Constructive criticism is welcomed with opened arms! Thanks for reading! I also reached my word goal! Yaay!  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

**Story Note: Nothing for this chapter...Except that it doesn't have much action...You get that next chapter! Although, I'll let you know that this chapter's sort of chopped up into little sections...But I tend to do that when I write...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. **

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><p><strong>Noches de Polvo<strong>

**Chapter 2: The Journey Begins**

**by. **_xxBurningxx_

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><p>"So, Officer, lemme properly introduce myself..." Soul says as he leans against the door jam of Maka's residence. He had followed her to her house after she told him that she needed to grab her supplies, and after approaching it, he wondered if he had misjudged how much money this officer makes.<p>

It's not that her house was a mansion or anything like that, it was pretty small actually, but it was well kept-he would give it that. The wooden walls looked sturdy enough, and after doing a quick scan over the interior of the building, he realized that the officer must be a neat freak. Everything was organized and cozy; a single bed, small bookshelf, everything a person really needs, including a medium sized chest at the foot of her bed.

And now she was rummaging through said chest, hastily grabbing and stuffing necessary things in a small shoulder bag that he had noticed she had earlier. She was just about pull out a folded up tent from the bottom of the chest when she looked up at him.

"Sure," She replies, then proceeds to pull the tent out. He waits for her to finish grabbing her things before continuing: the shoulder bag that is filled with a variety of things, a canteen already filled with water, ammunition (for both her pistols, and his Winchester), the tent, a pair of sleeping bags, and a roll of bandages and medicine for first-aid purposes. He also notices that she has a lasso hanging from her hip and a sheathed hunting knife on the opposite side. After she's properly fixed herself with everything, hat and all, he continues.

"Well...They call me Soul Eater." He tells her, tipping his hat up for the extra effect.

"And I doubt that "Eater" is your real last name..." She answers with a eyebrow raised skeptically.

He smirks at this, "You're pretty bright, Officer..."

"I'm not denying that, but it's sorta obvious. How about 'Soul', that your real name?" She asks, because "Soul" isn't exactly the most common name either.

"Actually, yes it is..."

"And your real last name?"

"Not to be rude, Officer, but I'm afraid that's my business, and my business only." He tells her, casting his eyes away from hers. But she catches the way they darken at the mention of it, as if he were recalling a bad memory. She realizes that he must have a history that doesn't settle well with him, and she doesn't hold him for it; she has her own dark past involving her father that she wishes she could simply let go. It is for this reason that she doesn't push the matter any further.

"I respect that, Eater. I'm Maka Albarn. Officer Albarn to you," She says as she walks past him at the door, "And you're taking this." She shoves the canvas tent into his hands. And the sleeping bags.

_'Bossy...' _He thinks with the smallest whisper of a smirk on his lips.

"And I also hope you got'cha self a horse..."

"Sure do, Officer." He replies as he follows her out of the house, closing the door behind him. He waits by the entrance as she walks around to the back of the house, and when she returns, she's on a darkly colored horse. The creature's fur glimmers in the sun's beating rays, and he slightly marvels at the majestic animal's beauty.

"Meet Blair," She says, rubbing the horse's neck, "She's pretty fond of people, I reckon she'll like you." Soul nods his head in acknowledgement as the horse snorts dismissively towards him. Soul locks eyes with the horse, holding its gaze for a few moments, but then Blair snorts again, as if Soul weren't important enough to register in her mind. The beautiful steed holds a mysterious aura, and it's almost as if he could imagine the animal as a human. And then he realizes something else.

"No saddle?" He asks, looking at the single blanket-cloth she's sitting on. It's brightly colored in a Mexican-tradition style, almost like a fancy poncho, minus the fact that she's sitting on it like a rug.

"Yeah, well...It's jus' a habit. You get used to it." She gives a shrug before patting the empty space behind her, "Hop on, I'll give ya a ride to where ever ya need to go to get yer stuff."

Soul narrows his eyes at the sudden offer. It's not that he doesn't trust her, but he isn't exactly comfortable around this woman yet, considering the fact that he's only just met her about an hour ago. After a quick moments thought, he decides, why not? It's much faster than walking to his hotel room.

"That's mighty kind of ya, Officer." Soul says, hopping onto Blair. He tries to adjust himself where he's comfortable, making sure he's not touching the officer, but frankly, he can't find a spot that feels okay. Holding onto the horse with just his legs wasn't easy, and he certainly wasn't putting his arms around this officer that he hardly knew.

"Just tryin' to save daylight, Eater." She tells him, before giving a slight tug on the reigns, "Tell me where ya need to go..."

* * *

><p>"ARGH!"<p>

Maka slowed the horse to a halt as she looked back to see her "partner" crumpled in a heap on the dusty road. After he told her to take him to the Death Town Hotel, she had taken off, and apparently it didn't take him long to fall-rather, fly- off the back of the horse.

"Damn it woman! How do ya ride without a saddle?" He asks after standing up and dusting himself off.

And she can't help but smirk at the tone at which he uses and his somewhat bewildered expression, "It takes practice, I guess...Like I said, ya get used to it..."

"I'll just walk from here on...The hotel's already in view, anyway." He tells her in an annoyed tone, but she can tell he's not angry. She almost laughs, but she doesn't let the sound escape her. He bends over to pick up his hat, which was thrown askew after his fall, and puts it back on his head.

"Whatever suits ya, Eater. I'll wait for ya there."

And so she takes off in a trot towards the hotel, not exactly sure why or how this stranger's antics had managed to make her grin so much.

* * *

><p>"So we need to head towards Fort Humphrey..." Soul is on his own horse now; a golden colored steed that has no name because he's never really bothered giving it one. He's relieved to have his own horse now because now he has the security of riding with a saddle. The two of them are lingering around the Death Town gates. Maka studies a frail and fairly old map while Soul fingers the wanted poster that he had folded up earlier.<p>

"Yeah...It's pretty far from here, it's gonna be at least seven days worth of travel, and that's probably with no stops..." She informs him, handing the map out to him. He takes it and studies it, following the outlined trail from Death Town to Fort Humphrey. His expression wrinkles a bit in slight annoyance.

"It's gonna take longer than seven days...Probably around ten, maybe twelve, if we camp at sundown. That's excluding any mishaps, which I'm sure we'll come across." He says, folding the map. He lifts his hat so he can run a hand through his white hair. Sweat has already accumulated on the back of his neck just from being out and under the sun's unforgiving rays. He begins a slow trot forward, his gaze still focused on the map.

Maka's horse falls into pace with him as they start down the dirt road that exits Death Town.

"I guess we outta get goin' then..." Maka says, glancing back at her hometown. She can clearly see how the gate rises above, rusty metal forming the words, 'DEATH TOWN' in capital letters. It's certainly not the first time she's left this town, but each and every time, she feels that little ache somewhere inside of her, deep in her gut, as if she were saying good bye to an old friend.

"Yeah. Time's a'wastin'. Let's go." And with that, Soul gives a curt double clicking sound and tugs on his reigns, ordering his horse into a swift pace.

Maka takes one last glace back, before nodding and following after the white-haired gunslinger.

* * *

><p>"Eh. Sun's goin' down. We should stop." Maka suggests, slowing Blair to a halt. Soul slows down as well, turning around a couple of feet in front of her. He looks to west, and sees that she's right. The sun is falling below the horizon, casting an orange glow on the dirt and cacti that surrounds them.<p>

"I agree...We outta get settled before sunset."

And so they both get off of their horses and begin setting up camp. Maka starts kindling a fire, collecting twigs and scraps of dried grass to serve as a fire starter. By the time she's got a smoke started, Soul has finished setting up the tent and was already sitting down. As soon as the fire is started and going strong, Maka settles a few feet away from him.

"We'll just have to eat on the dried meat for tonight." She tells him, retrieving a few strips of the meat from her shoulder bag. She hands him a slice.

"That's fine. We'll probably need to start hunting soon though..." He replies, and she nods in agreement. She takes off her hat and sets it down besides her, letting her hair splay freely across her back.

"We should be arriving in Camp Soney sometime tomorrow..." She says, pulling out the map and quickly estimating their location. She assumes they're about three quarters close to the next town, and she figures that they made pretty good time, considering Camp Soney is a fairly large distance from Death Town.

"Yeah..."

"Is that all ya ever say, Eater?"

"What?" And it's the first time she ever feels a spark of annoyance from the gunslinger. Something about his tone and the way he says it, the carefree and lazy way he carries himself, it sends a twitch of anger through her, threatening to spark a fire. But she quickly dowses that fire, keeping a casual tone sturdy in her voice.

"That word, 'Yeah'...You seem to be fond of it." She tells him after ripping a bite off of the beef strip in her hand.

He rests his elboys on him knees, and raises his eyes as if in thought, "I've never really noticed it, but I guess it's a cool word..."

"Mmm." She takes off the canteen and takes a sip of its liquid contents. After she's had enough to satisfy her dry mouth, she holds it out to Soul. He gladly takes it, taking a few generous swigs.

"Watch it, idiot. We need to make sure we have enough to last us until we reach Soney tomorrow." She warns him, that old strictness that comes with being an officer filling her voice. And then, there it is again, that flicker of annoyance. It makes her wonder if she really could work with this man, actually be "partners" with him. He grunts in acknowledgement and sets the canteen down.

"Anyways...Tell me why you don' use a saddle?" He asks, glancing a Blair, who's a few feet away, nibbling on the grass. The sudden strike of conversation inwardly startles her, the way he casually just starts talking to her makes her wonder what kind of person Soul is, whether she should really trust him.

The sun's already set by now; the moon just starting to float upwards. She decides that if the two are ever going to be able to work together, they outta get to know eachother a littler.

"Eh. It was from a bounty I took a while back..." Maka starts, recalling the day. "I was bein' chased by a big group'a criminals, after killin' their leader. They weren't exactly pleased when they found me with a gun pointed to his head." She gives a slight chuckle, remembering the shocked expression on many of the mens faces.

"Go on." Soul urges. She notes the way he intensely listens to her, how his attention is unfazed. She realizes that he has a very intense concentration level.

"And so, when I realized that I couldn't outrun 'em, I ended up ditching the saddle, so I could ride faster, ya know? And trust me when I say it wasn't easy; stoppin' and tryin' my best to rip it off'a Blair. I'd probably be dead if I didn't do that then...When I said it was a habit earlier...I've just never really bothered with buyin' another one...And ever since then, I've been ridin' bareback."

"Huh. That's quite the tale you got'cha self there, Officer." Soul says, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, well, it's not the most interestin'..." Maka says grimly. He was about to ask, but the way her eyes darkened made him think otherwise. Instead, he yawns and spreads his arms out wide, taking pleasure in the way his muscles stretch.

"We should get some sleep if we're gettin' up early tomorrow..." Soul suggests.

"Mhmm...Yeah. We'll sleep in shifts. I'll start off." Maka starts. She grabs one of the sleeping bags, which is lying haphazardly a few feet away, and tosses it to him. After he catches it, she finishes, "I'll wake you up in a few hours, you can sleep in the tent until then."

But he's still not sure whether he can trust her. Exactly how dependable is she? Soul isn't sure he could fall asleep soundly with just the protection of a female officer watching his back. Deciding that he could just stay awake in the tent if he has to, he relents and goes anyway.

"Okay..." He says, unfolding the sleeping bag and crawling into the tent. "I guess this is an okay start to our trip..."

"Heh. I guess so..." Maka replies. "Night. I'll call you if anything comes up." And with this, he nods and dissapears behind the canvas flaps of the tent. Maka sighs and looks at the sky. She's not quite sure about this whole "partnership" deal with the white-haired man, but she figures that if comes to it, she can defend herself. Although she knows nothing about this gunslinger, "Eater", she can usually picks up vibes on people. Ever since she was little, she could sorta pick up on a person; whether they had good hearts or cold ones.

And although this Soul "Eater" may have seemed a little rough around the edges, Maka felt that he was an okay guy.

So she figured, this would be a good way to start a new "journey." Besides, this time, she had company.

And consequently, Soul ended up falling asleep soundly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I feel sort of bad about this. I take forever to update, and then I give you guys this short-ass chapter...I'm sorry. I've just been really sick lately and busy with school and all of that good stuff. Heh. So I hope you guys liked this chapter. I personally didn't care for it(I feel like it's really choppy)...But...Well, frankly, I never do...**

**I think that Soul and Maka are already too casual around eachother. That's why I'm gonna add some tension in the next chapter, ya know, some arguments, action, danger, the whole package. **

**Oh, and courtesy of WindyCanyon for the idea about the 'no saddle' thing. It'll lead up to something later in the story (AKA: Some sorta fluffy scene). Anyways, since I gave y'all this short chapter, I'll give you guys a little idea of what is to come. I'm not guaranteeing anything though, these are more like, just little brainstorming ideas WindyCanyon and I came up with, lol. **

**There will definitely be a part where Stein and Marie are included. **

**Somewhere along the line, Maka is gonna fess up to Soul (when their relationship is a little closer, when they're coming close to Fort Humphrey) about her sex-obsessed father and blah blah blah. **

**They will be attacked in the middle of the night by wolves (sometime soon), killing Soul's horse, and therefore forcing Soul to ride behind Maka. (Boy will I have fun writing about how Soul is too shy to wrap his arms around her, because he certainly wouldn't do that! Lol) **

**There will be a point of time where Maka and Soul sleep in tent at the same time. (Because I gotta put that fluff in somewhere, right?)**

**And there's another something that includes Soul "saving" Maka, but...I'll save that for later. WindyCanyon, you know what I'm talkin' about, right? Lol! **

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Not very exciting, I know, but it'll get better. There'll be more action in the next chapter, and hopefully, it'll be longer. (I'm thinking about doing the wolf thing next chapter, in fact, I know that's what I'm gonna do. Action, yaay!)**

**Lol. Thanks for reading, and **_**why the hell are my A/N's so freaking long? (I really need to work on making them shorter!) **_**Lol. And guys, seriously, reviews are really nice. They inspire me to write more! :) **


	4. Chapter 3: When The Wolves Strike

**A/N: I'm sorry, I epic fail at updating, I know.**

**Story Note: Eh, not much except for language and a little blood. Death of wolves (unfortunately)...And my incredible lack of knowledge about making jerky and other things (You'll see as you read it). Seriously, my facts probably aren't very straight in this chapter, so please bear with it. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still do not own Soul Eater or its characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Noches de Polvo<strong>

**Chapter 3: When The Wolves Strike **

**by.** _xxBurningxx_

* * *

><p>"Ah...There it is..."<p>

Soul glances over at the officer whom is pointing off into the distance. Her face, neck, and all other exposed skin is glistening from sweat that's built up after spending numerous hours in the blistering sun. With a mental grunt, he blunt notes that his own body is perspiring as well. Dragging his thoughts off of the horrid heat, he looks towards the left, in the direction of her finger.

"Yea...Camp Soney, eh? If I'm correct, there're been a number of rumors about that place..." Soul tells her, skepticism wriggling its way into his parched voice. He remembers the various tales that Rick and other travelers informed him of the mysterious camp: 'Lonely souls that roam the roads at night' and 'Robberies every couple'a days' just to name a few. Of course, Soul doesn't believe in the one about souls, but "robberies" all the time could be a candidate for problems. He hopes that grabbing supplies there will be quick and easy; the less time spent the better.

Although, it's not the safety he's really concerned about. He could certainly protect himself and Officer Albarn if it need be, but that'd be a waste of bullets, wouldn't it?

"Back at the office, we get quite a few crime reports from there, so I guess it wouldn't be unusual for rumors to float around like that." She replies, "And besides, I doubt anyone would bother messin' with us. A gunslinger and officer traveling together? Anyone crazy enough would just be wastin' their life."

Soul almost chuckles. It's almost as if she were reading his mind...He looks the other way in an attempt of hid the grin that threatens to spill off his lips, "Yeah, I guess we make a pretty good team, no?"

"I suppose so, Eater..." Her voice is flat - cold - containing no evidence of emotion. She agrees that they probably do make a nice pair for battle, but she still harbors a mountain of distrust for men, and he's no exception. For all she know's, he isn't any different from the rest of them.

And so, Soul pretends not to notice her tone of voice, and the two continue towards Camp Soney.

* * *

><p>"Look Mister," Maka grits her teeth in frustration, "just give me the bullets."<p>

The old man behind the counter just shakes his head for the third time, "Miss, I'm afraid I can't do that." Maka pinches the bridge of her nose in obvious annoyance, leaning against the counter. She had entered the General Store of Camp Soney expecting buy an extra arsenal of ammunition, but when she had approached the counter to pay for her basket, she was greeted with a snotty old man who looked like he wasn't far from kickin' the bucket.

"Besides, young women like you shouldn't be handlin' guns, you'll just end up shootin' yerself."

That's Maka's snapping point. A filthy man like him shouldn't have the right to say that to her! "Listen hear, you good-fer-nothin'-" Maka was just about to spout a list of unmentionable things before she's cut off by the sound of the little hinged doors swinging open and boots clacking on the wooden floor.

"They're not for her."

Maka's instantly recognizes the husky voice that erupts from behind her, but anger and adrenaline still pumps through her veins, causing her head to whip angrily in the direction of the intruder.

"Huh?" The old shopkeeper grunts, "Who're you?" It sounds more like an accusation than a question.

"Who I am isn't any concern to you, old man. And that's not the important matter at hand; I asked her to come buy me those." Soul says, pointing at the boxes of ammo lying on the counter before sending Maka a quick glance, silently asking her to play along.

"Bulls-!" Maka begins, still enraged.

"Sorry, she has quite the short temper." Soul cuts her off again, sending her a sharp glare. Maka feels the incredible urge to induce harm to the gunsling. His crimson eyes lock with her emerald ones, and it takes a few moments before she reluctantly backs down. With a annoyed snarl, she finally looks away.

"That's pretty cowardly of ye to send your girl in like that, askin' her to buy yer ammunition." The man grunts, seemingly disgusting with Soul. And suddenly, Soul realizes exactly why this old fart had angered Maka so much. Half of him wanted to correct him about the Officer Albarn being his "girl", and the other half wanted to punch the old geezer. Ignoring his tempting desires, Soul slams down a wad of cash on the counter instead.

"Just give me the damn bullets."

The shopkeeper finally agrees to the request, handing Soul the boxes and greedily snatching up the money. Taking back his change with a grunt, Soul turns to exit the store.

Leaning against a wooden pole outside, is Officer Albarn. Her face is still a little red from rage, and she has her cheeks puffed out a little. Soul can't help but think that she looks childish, immature, and albeit, a little cute. Before his brain can process what he just thought, she interrupts.

"How'd you know to come in?" She asks, a little calmer now.

"Well, I was waiting outside, and you weren't exactly quiet about screaming at that old man..." Soul replies, allowing the smallest little laugh to escape past his lips.

She grunts, and he's grateful that she's not angry at him, because frankly, some part of him expected that to set her off as well. After being with her for just this short amount of time, he's realized that she has a short fuse, and recalling the way she didn't want to play along back in the store, she's also very stubborn.

"Lets go." She says, walking towards her horse.

"Wait, don't we needta buy some food?" Soul asks, following behind her.

"Nope, we're goin' hunting today." She tells him, and he can't ignore the smug tone that plays in her voice.

So instead, he relents and follows her, completely forgetting about the rumors that shroud Camp Soney and its inhabitants.

* * *

><p>"Wow. You're pretty good..." Soul says in slight awe as he sees Officer Albarn approaching. In one hand, she holds a decent-sized rabbit by the leg, and the other hangs a dead rattlesnake. He can see where the gun's bullets made their mark: there's a blood stain in the center of the rabbit's nose, and an obvious hole in the snake's head.<p>

"Yup, one bullet each." She tells him with triumph in her tone, and he can't help but notice the little smile on her face. And then she observes his own catch that is lying besides him: a mangled coyote (that had apparently strayed from it's pack) and a decent sized armadillo.

"You're not too shabby yerself." She says, dropping her prey and plopping down besides him. A few hours earlier, they had decided to set up camp beforehand, and then agreed to separate and meet back when the sun began to set. Now was that time; the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon.

"Eh, there's not much meat on the armadillo, but the coyote outta last a while if we make jerky outta it." Soul suggests with a slight shrug. He doesn't know to much about making jerky, but he figures that they couldn't eat everything they caught, and that it would be a waste if they didn't try to conserve it in some way.

"Sure, I have the things to do that. We can start it tonight. It'd make our journey a couple of days longer, but I'm fine with it...You?"

He realizes that he's caught her in a good mood, probably because he praised her hunting skills, "Yeah, that's fine. And we can just eat on the other stuff until it's time to head back to town..."

And so, he watches as the officer sets up some sort of device above their fire. After she's done and pleased with her work, she turns to him, "You're skinnin' them." She says, jabbing a finger towards the animals.

Soul considers objecting, but then thinks better of it. He doesn't want to ruin her good mood, and decides that making a woman do it would probably be rude. Not that he's suggesting that she can't do it, just...

She begins to pull out her own hunting knife to offer it to him when he stops her, "Nah, I got my own."

"Oh, okay." She says, and then goes back to tweaking with the contraption for making the jerky. Soul begins with coyote first, carefully skinning the fur and cutting the meat in strips, cautious to avoid getting blood on his outfit. Once he has a decent amount of meat strips, he hands them to Officer Albarn.

"Mhm, thanks." She says, taking them from him. He nods and watches as she ties them up and begins hanging them so that they hang above the fire. He watches as hands skillfully handle the meat with care, and admires her fast pace. After a few moments, she notices his gaze on her and turns towards him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"Huh? Oh, nothin'." He replies, before turning away and grabbing the rabbit to begin skinning. He can feel her gaze on his back, but he ignores it and pretends not to notice. Instead, he focuses on the rabbit until he feels her eyes leave him. 'What the hell..?'

It's only later, once he's finished skinning and all the meat has been hung to begin cooking, does Soul begin to relax. The sun's long since set and the moon has already made its way a fair distance into the sky.

"I'll take first watch," Soul offers, while stretching his arms out with a lazy yawn. She watches him and wonders how he could be so lax; after so many years of duty, she's learned that you can't be relaxed in the wild, it'll get you killed. And if he expects her to protect him...well then, he's not in much luck.

"No, it's fine. I'll do it." Maka says, eying him warily. Someone like that...Nope, she's happy to stay awake.

"Okay..." He replies with another yawn; he looks tired. She's glad he doesn't object, because frankly, he really doesn't look like he needs to stay up much longer...

_'He's just as lazy as all the men out there...'_ She thinks dully. And she doesn't doesn't even notice that she's a bit disappointed by the fact...

* * *

><p>"Soul! Get yer ass up!"<p>

He jumps at sound of her voice. 'My turn already?' But then two things slowly register in his mind: One, her tone's too urgent and two, that's the first time she used his actual name. He's not sure it that's a good thing.

The gears start turning in his head a bit faster when he hears the sound of a few gunshots and a canine-like yelp. Struggling to remove his person from the sleeping bag, his hand instantly fingers his trusty shotgun lying besides him. Once he's outside the tent, his heart sinks when he realizes what's going on. A pack of at least eight raggy wolves move in a predatory circle around their camp.

"Shit!" Soul curses, and suddenly, he's wide awake and alert. He poises his gun to shoot.

"Wait, not yet!" She hisses, "Slowly move behind me and watch the ones on the other side. I'll say when ta shoot."

Soul lowers his gun. Why should he listen to her? But he knows that she's right. Her logic makes sense: if he shot now, the pack would certainly attack, so he obeys the officer's orders. As gently and discreetly as he can, he turns around and moves towards her until they're back-to-back.

"Okay, on the count ta three, shoot at the biggest one on your side." She whispers. Soul takes a look at the dogs facing him. The one to the right looks the largest, so once again, he raises his gun.

"One..."

Silence.

"Two..."

Soul inhales. The wolves snarl and growl.

"Three-!"

Guns flash, and in a blink of an eye, Soul forgets about everything except for protecting himself and perhaps the officer. His bullet me its mark in the first wolf's head, killing it instantly. He's not exactly sure how the officer is doing, so instead, he focuses on taking care of his share of wolves. He hits one in the leg, injuring it badly enough for it to retreat. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he slightly acknowledges the sound of a horse whinnying.

"Damn!" He screams as one of them pounces on him, its weight pushing him to the ground with a thud. The wolf rips and gnaws on his left arm with its jaws, his own blood soaking its muzzle as well as his clothes. Soul struggles to get the canine off of him, but it's reluctant to let go and its weight pushes him down...

Until it yelps and releases it's grip, and it's a moment later when Soul realizes that Maka had abruptly turned to shoot the mutt ontop of him. The previously attacking wolf slinks down and the pressure on him and his arm is suddenly released. There's one last gunshot from Maka's pistols before the pack retreats with overlapping howls.

"Agh...Fuck!" Soul growls, gritting his teeth in pain. He observes his wounded arm at stares at the bloody mess, it's not as bad as he thought, but it's enough to leave his arm useless and open for infection.

"You can say that again..." Maka says bluntly, looking in a different direction. When he realizes that she's not actually looking at him, he follows her line of sight.

"Agh, Fuck!" Lying in a slowly gathering pool of blood is his nameless horse, bite marks littering its neck and torso. Maka runs a hand through her scraggly hair and turns to look at him.

Upon seeing his injured arm, she sucks in a quick inaudible gasp, "Damn..."

"Yeah...Thanks fer that..." Soul says, once again looking over at his arm. _'They must've smelled the meat...'_ Soul thinks dully.

"I guess we won't be staying to let the jerky finish..." Maka says, almost as though she read his thoughts.

"Heh, and I don't think either of us will be sleeping tonight..." Soul mumbles, plopping down, careful to avoid hurting his arm even more.

Maka eyes him and his wound, almost feeling a little guilty, because she managed with only a few scrapes here and there. He would certainly need to the doctor in the next town. And so they sit there by their slowly dying fire, and wait for the sun to raise.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe that I have ta do this..." Soul grumbles, eying Blair the horse annoyed. The sun is just peaking above the horizon.<p>

"Well it's not like you can walk." Maka chuckles, adjusting the things newly re-arranged supply pack, "Here, you can hold this."

Soul takes it and slings it over his shoulder with yet another grumble. After they've packed up the camp, Maka jumps onto Blair, and reluctantly with some difficulty, Soul follows. He has no idea how she rides the horse without a saddle, and he's not quite sure how he's supposed to either...

And he's sure as hell not wrapping his arms around her waist! Besides, his injured arm won't allow it. Yeah...He would need to get that checked.

"When we arrive in the next town, the first thing we're doin' is visiting a doctor." Maka says, once again as though she read his thoughts. He wonders how she does that.

"Yeah." Soul grunts, still a little annoyed by having to share a horse, "And I'm buyin' another horse there too."

"And exactly how much cash do ya have?"

Shit. "Heh...Uh..."

"Though so. What'd ya do? Gamble it all off?"

Soul just gives her a nonchalant look. He can't tell if it was just a lucky guess, or if his money problems were seriously that obvious. Or perhaps she really can read minds...And besides, it's not like he's broke, it's just that he doesn't have enough to pay for a horse, even a slow and unhealthy one.

"Why do ya think I'm on this bounty with ya?" Is all he says, as Maka tugs on the reigns and they take off into the dusty road.

* * *

><p>"Damn it! I don't understand how you. Ride. Without. A. Saddle." Soul growls after falling off the back of the horse for the umpteenth time. He's just glad he hasn't managed to land on his injured arm yet; that certainly wouldn't feel good.<p>

With a sigh, Maka responds, "Come on Eater, get yer ass in gear. It'll get easier."

When he doesn't reply with anything except an annoyed expression, she looks back with a smirk on her face and says, "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Again, sorry. As previously stated, I suck at updating. I've just been soooooo busy...**

**Playing Minecraft...not doing homework...and procrastinating. **

**Seriously. And don't ask me why Maka suddenly has, like, psychic telepathic powers or something...I don't quite know myself.**

**Also, again, I have no freakin' idea about making jerky and I'm sure they wouldn't do that in real life (maybe they would...?), but come on, it was a PLOT BUNNY! Yup, this chapter makes no since...And the title of the chapter is so...Horrible! I couldn't think of anything, honestly. *Facepalm* Ugh. **

***Bows* Apologies from me. This chapter really isn't that great, I apologize if it doesn't meet anyone's expectations!**

**And this chapter is freakin' short (Well...)! Meahsklvnomscoihg. So sorry, I'm such a horrible person! **_**Anyways!**_** Time for a question that's completely irreverent to the previously stated things: town name suggestions? I'm seriously running out of names that don't sound retarded in correspondence to the setting. Lol.**

**Until next time (which hopefully won't be THAT long)...! Thanks for all the people who've reviewed and favorited and alerted; it seriously means a lot. (My A/N's are freakin' long! Ugh.**

**I also fail at editing stuff...So if there're any mistakes, feel free to point them out...or...ignore them...Either or. Doesn't make a difference to me.**

**Farewell, see ya in chapter 4. **


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